2025年08月11日

Windows PIF

Windows PIF file can still end up executing a PE32 executable, but not because PIFs contain PE binaries.

  • PIF files (Program Information Files) are not executable binaries; they’re legacy shortcut/configuration files for MS-DOS programs. Historically, they stored settings like window size, memory options, and command-line parameters.

  • When you double-click a .pif file, Windows doesn’t parse it like an EXE — instead, the Windows shell reads the PIF metadata and launches the program it points to.

  • If the Program or Command Line field inside the PIF points to a PE32 EXE, Windows will load and execute that EXE.

  • This means a malicious actor could craft a .pif that looks harmless but is actually a disguised shortcut to malware.exe.

  • Since .pif is in Windows’ “executable” extension list (alongside .exe, .bat, .scr, etc.), double-clicking it will run the target without extra prompts in many cases.

  • Windows Explorer still treats .pif as an executable type.

  • AV/EDR solutions watch .pif launches for this reason.

  • It’s sometimes abused for phishing or payload delivery because users might think “it’s just a shortcut” or “it’s a document”.

yeah i used chatgpt

Save as powershell code
Add-Type -TypeDefinition @'
using System;

class X {
    static void Main() {
        Console.WriteLine(".PIF worked!");
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadKey();
    }
}
'@ -OutputAssembly test.exe

then execute it.

Disable security protection for running scripts
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process

next is rename it to .pif extension. even when show hidden file extension is neabled in explorer, it will not pop up.

alternatively, find any .exe and rename it to .pif extension.